The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-09-16
THE CONSTITUTION.
How, When and by Whom 1t
Was Adopted.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
To Be Held in Philadelphia Sept.
10, l6 and II.

History Of the Movement Leading to the
Adoption OF the Document-Portraits
OF Some Of the Men Who Had Hand
in Its Preparation and Who Took Part
In the Adopting Convention.
Copyrighted by the American Press Association.
Our readers are already apprsed Of the
fact that it is proposed to hold a centennial
celebration Of the adoption of the constitu-
ton of the United States, in Philadelphia on
the 18th, 10th and 18th of September. Not all
who know this are familiar with the causes
that led up to the adoption Of the consti-
tuition and the history of the movement.
One hundred years ago there was no
United States of America. There was no
nation on this continent-only English,
French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies
from Hudson's bay to the Rio de La Plata.
There was in this country no president, no
cabinet, no senate and no national treasury;
there was no public credit, no power to create
q national revenue, no authority to secure
union at home and respect abroad. Even the
piratical Barbary states sneered at the talk of
American power. The contribution box was
passed Sunday after Sunday in New England
churches for means to ransom American
sailors in Algerian captivity. The last-the
definitive-treaty of peace had been signed at
Versailles on Sept 3, 1888, and the army had
been disbanded with a mere fraction Of its
pay. None of the treaties recognized the ex-
istence of a new nation-the independence
and sovereignty Of thirteen colonies, each by
name, were separately acknowledged. The
public securities were steadily declining, the
worn soldier of liberty sought his desolated
home with only wounds and glory for his
pay. Not because the country was poor-it
was admittedly rich in resources that could
soon be converted into cash-but there was
no central power; there were thirteen sepa-
rately independent sovereignties bound to-
gether only by vague something which
could not be called a charter of union, was
lily defined as a confederation, and scarcely
merited even the title of league or compact.
Each state had its own army, its own
currency and banking system, its own COM
mercial marine, its own system of ad-
ministration, and, above all, its own system
of customs duties one state tariffing against
another. In short, each state held in itself
the complete power of the sword and the
purse, and only obeyed the mandate of the
confederation congress so far and at such
time as the state chose. The adverse vote of
one SJate cOulu ueleaU an important law.
The plan was in imitation of that of the
united provinces of the Netherlands in the
preceding century-a very poor model in
deed, and very badly initiated The system
almost ruined the united provinces, and was
utterly unsuited to confederation in which
the area of single state was greater than
that of the Netherlands.
There had been three governments--Colo-
NAL, Revolutionary or Continental, and Con-
federated. The Colonial had ended in revo-
luton, the royal governors flying to British
ships and the people selling the power; the
Continental began to take form in the first
congress at Philadelphia, September, 1774,
but could not be called complete Gf it alD till
a few weeks after the Declaration of Inde-
pendence; and it expired peaceably in March,
1881, when the last state (Maryland) acceded
to the Articles of Confederation, and the con-
gress then in session at once proceeded to
act under its new powers. The Colonial had
expired in revolution and the Continental had
grown slowly into the Confederated; and |
now the Confederation was dying of dry rot.
It only had power to "request" of the states; |
each successive requisition was met with |
more indifference until, on Nov. /, 1884, |
Robert Morris announced that he could pay |
no interest on any foreign loans and a very |
small fraction of the domestic claims, and |
that he saw no way Of securing revenue |
under the Characterization resigned his |
post as superintendent of the finances in |
tone that seemed like wall Of despair.